Ahead of that contest, Kovalev told MMAjunkie he’s a fan of Conor McGregor’s style and hopes “The Notorious” will be watching his bout on pay-per-view.

“I’m a big fan of Conor McGregor,” Kovalev said. “I like his style for fighting. He’s aggressive, very exciting and a lot of fun to watch. I am always interested to see what he will bring in the fight.

“I see little bit of myself in Conor McGregor because he has ‘Krusher’ style, but he’s also a smart fighter.”

McGregor, of course, was in action at this past weekend’s UFC 205 event at New York’s Madison Square Garden, where he downed Eddie Alvarez in the second round to become the UFC’s first-ever simultaneous dual-division champion.

Kovalev was finishing up preparation for his bout with Ward and couldn’t attend the fight but was impressed by what he saw and hopes McGregor can repay the favor.

“I wasn’t able to attend Conor McGregor’s fight because I have my fight against Andre Ward on Nov. 19, but I cheered for him,” Kovalev said. “Maybe McGregor can cheer for me, too.”

The 33-year-old Kovalev has been boxing professionally since 2009. The Russian-born fighter resides in the U.S. and has amassed a perfect record in his first 30 professional contests, picking up 26 knockouts in that span.

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